Expanding the Circle

In my November 2007 column, I discussed the power of friendship and how it can enhance our professional and personal lives. Along the way, I used examples from my own career and kept the focus on a personal level. This time around, however, I’ll be broadening the focus and expanding the concept to cover cultural and even global relationships.

One of my key points in November was that by surrounding yourself with a circle of diverse, passionate, knowledgeable and thoughtful friends, you expand your base and gain access to resources and to people who can enhance just about every aspect of your life. What’s so exciting about all this is that the concept isn’t limited to individuals, but can encompass entire industries and even other countries as well.

That’s hard for many folks (even open-minded among us) to grasp: I’ve long observed that there’s a natural tendency among people to stay within familiar confines – of their families, industries, societies and cultures – without giving much thought to what’s happening beyond those conceptual or physical borders. That’s just human nature to a large extent, but I’ve come to believe that it doesn’t necessarily serve our best interests.

Indeed, when you branch out and invest time and resources to explore the ways people in other societies think and act, you often experience revelations of a sort you might never have imagined.

GROWING A GROUP

In late October/early November 2007, I traveled as part of a group of more than 20 people to Cologne, Germany under the auspices of Genesis 3 to attend the third annual Aquanale: International Trade Fair for Sauna/Pool/Ambiance. It was an amazing event, and the name alone speaks to a huge difference in the way the Germans integrate watershaping into a much broader collection of business activities than we do in the United States.

The massive event focused entirely on the broad concept of “wellness” as its unifying thread – a remarkably progressive approach in a show that includes swimming pools and spas in the context of recreational and health-related industries ranging from interior and exterior facility design and sports programming to fine arts and various technological, scientific and therapeutic disciplines.

We were on hand as a result of the alliance Genesis 3 formed last year with the German trade association for swimming pools (Bundesverband, Schwimmbad & Wellness or BSW), which in turn is part of the broader European Union Swimming Pool Association (EUSA), an umbrella association that includes trade organizations from Spain, Portugal, Italy, France and the United Kingdom, among others. Basically, it’s like the United Nations of swimming pool associations – a network of professionals of which we should be more aware in the United States.

BSW is the “conceptual sponsor” of the Aquanale. Its chairman, Guido Rangers, has worked tirelessly with Genesis 3’s European liaison, Gera van der Wiejden, to forge an alliance between our organization and the network of European associations.

This trip was the second in what we hope will be an ongoing set of opportunities for Genesis 3 and other representatives of the U.S. industry to get involved in these overseas events. We’re also aware that this sort of traffic is something that ultimately should flow in both directions.

Among the many activities we pursued on our trip, Genesis 3 co-founder David Tisherman and design-school instructor Don Gerds offered well-attended seminars on presentation skills and drawing. We also had detailed discussions with members of Germany’s Technical Inspection Association (TUV); perused exhibits on the show floor; and enjoyed visits with companies in the area.

To say it was a busy, mind-expanding experience is a grand understatement: Not only were we exposed to the way people think and do things in other countries, but we also had the sense that, on a variety of levels, we were joining a community of professionals that has much to teach us in the United States – and were just as eager to learn from us as well.

ACROSS LINES

Before I get down to specifics, I want to make it clear that, although it’s wonderful to think in metaphorical terms about joining hands around the globe, this is also very much a process of absorbing and exchanging utterly practical information and approaches that can improve the way things are done on both sides of the Atlantic. So while I may sound as though I’m being wildly idealistic, I must say that, at every turn, I look at these possibilities with keenly pragmatic eyes.

As Americans traveling in Europe, for example, one of the first things you notice is that, while few of us in the United States speak foreign languages, it’s actually pretty easy to function in Europe without interpreters because a great many people there are multi-lingual: It seems you can almost always find someone who is fluent in English. In other words, there are few barriers to communication, even on technical levels – a fact that may give them an edge but which also works to our advantage.

This sort of pan-linguistic, pan-cultural agility was particularly evident in our conversations with members of the TUV. Founded in 1870 to create and enforce standards for the steam-boiler industry, the TUV has decades of experience in serving the public interest by developing standards and training inspectors.

At a glance, we could see that the organization’s program on pools is extremely detailed and in many instances promotes technical standards that exceed those we observe in the United States.

As it turns out, however, those standards are right in line with those promoted by Genesis 3 (and are part and parcel of the approaches supported in the pages of WaterShapes), so we opened discussions of the possibility of combining our efforts and working both toward global technical standards and the adoption of a version of the TUV inspection system for the United States.

Coincidentally, the TUV is currently in the process of developing systems in the English language for implementation in the United Kingdom. For that and other reasons, we came away from our meeting confident that we had laid the groundwork for a collaboration that in my opinion could vastly improve the way we do things here.

SHOWING UP

But of course, the centerpiece of our journey was the Aquanale itself – an amazing experience that illustrates in ways both large and small how cross-pollination between U.S. and European interests could benefit both sides.

Let me start with an area in which they could use some help from us: As tremendous as the show was, its organizers invited chaos in the way they controlled how people entered and exited the show floor. They used an elaborate electronic system that tracked movement both in and out of the hall, so not only did you need to pass inspection to get in, but you also had to line up to get out.

Apparently, that’s just the way they do things here, but it uses identification badges that don’t fully print your name (leading to a need for lots of careful introductions since a name couldn’t be gathered from a badge) and creates logjams at the turnstiles. Even worse, this business of checking people out struck me as being slightly paranoid, as though they were worried about attendees disappearing undetected in the course of a day.

Beyond that one logistical foible, however, the Aquanale was pretty well flawless. In fact, once we made it through the line, everyone in our party was stunned by what we saw. First of all, the word booth doesn’t apply: Nowhere did we see any of the familiar pipe-and-drape-style slots that define U.S. trade shows. Instead, what we saw in many cases were exhibits that had to be considered works of art.

Many, for example, were huge structures that had all sorts of levels for seating and other public functions, secluded rooms for private meetings, and counters and dining areas where food (in many cases prepared on site by chefs) was being served. Some had stages for presentations, and there were audiovisual displays everywhere you turned.

Notably absent were exhibits that made products the focus: In many cases, you felt as though you were entering completely separate environments on the exhibit floor, and all you could do was admire the level of execution and the quality of the furnishings. Yes, products and literature were frequently on hand, but the activity on the floor was much more directed to human interaction, education and outreach.

By design, this was mainly a social environment (as compared to the selling environment we see most often in U.S. shows), and we were always encouraged to linger and spend time getting to know the people involved in exhibiting companies while enjoying good food, wine and beer. There was never the sense you get at U.S. shows that the aisles are filled with people numbly strolling around, barely glancing at what’s on display. By contrast, the Aquanale was about meeting new friends, absorbing information and generally having a fine time.

BIG TENTS

Another aspect of the show we found fascinating was the way it was organized by area of interest. Unlike most U.S. pool shows, where there seems to be a deliberate attempt to scramble things up and intermix every conceivable sort of interest, the huge facilities in Cologne were cordoned into pavilions where like was presented with like.

Out and About While our main purpose in going to Cologne was attending the Aquanale, we also had some wonderful experiences away from the exhibition. Chief among these was our visit to Riviera Pools with its owner, Guido Rangers. As mentioned in the accompany text, he’s the chairman of BSW, the German swimming pool association. Already a prized friend and associate, he treated us to a tour of his facility and a great dinner. His showroom is something to behold – light years beyond anything I’ve ever seen in the United States. The layout, design, lighting scheme, materials – every aspect of the setting was breathtaking. And the thing is, Rangers’ firm specializes in fiberglass pools, which are sometimes seen in our country as lower-end products. That didn’t seem to be the case here: These pools were all stunning – watershaping at its finest. All in all, it was a tremendous experience and showed us all that attitude is everything: If you believe in what you do, conventional associations and definitions don’t matter nearly as much as the way you present what you do. — B.V.B.

There were distinct areas for saunas, tanning systems and massage therapy, for example, that featured more variety than any of us could have imagined. Closer to home, there was an entire area dedicated strictly to indoor murals (most swimming pool and wellness facilities in Germany are indoors because of the climate, so there’s a great niche for artists who paint murals for these spaces) as well as an area devoted to commercial facilities that featured all sorts of high-tech furnishings, lighting and sports amenities.

As for the pool and spa section of the show, it was a different world benefiting from some truly spectacular displays. In short, we all enjoyed the way the huge exhibition space was organized and saw this as a concept that merited consideration back home.

Another point we couldn’t help noticing was the professionalism on display everywhere throughout the hall. For starters, the attire was all business and high style, with men in suits and ties and women dressed to the nines. We all remarked on the air of sophistication and elegance this lent to the proceedings and were just as impressed by the profound courtesy and warmth of the people we met. (Some say the Germans can be aloof and rigid, but our experience was just the opposite.)

One of the most gratifying aspects of the entire experience was the way we were treated as VIPs just about everywhere we went. Yes, they were aiming to please and impress us, but we never had the sense that we were being “played.” Instead, we picked up a profound sense that they were open to learning from others and appreciated the fact that being friendly is a great way to start meaningful conversations and working relationships.

On a more personal note, I took distinct pleasure in the whole idea of integrating watershapes into the broader context of all things that contribute to human wellness. Naturally, it reminded me that we do a pretty poor job of recognizing and celebrating those health benefits here in the United States and convinced me as never before that we need to retool our thinking on that front – soon and in a big way!

TWO-WAY STREET

Officially speaking, we were on hand at the Aquanale to do some Genesis 3-style teaching, and the fact that those beyond our party were ready to listen and learn was magnificently on display.

Both of our seminars – David Tisherman’s on the elements of design and Don Gerds’ on measured perspective drawing – were extremely well attended and received by industry professionals who seemed hungry for both information and inspiration. With our liaison Gera offering simultaneous German translation for the seeming few who didn’t understand English, the presentations went off without any confusion or inconvenience.

All in all, we were both energized and encouraged by the reception we received and are all hoping that it leads to bigger and better things to come!

Brian Van Bower operates Aquatic Consultants in Miami and is a cofounder of the Genesis 3 Design Group. With more than 35 years’ experience in the swimming pool and spa industry, he now specializes in the design of swimming pools, recreational areas and hydrotherapy clinics. As a consultant, he also conducts training and inspections and serves as an expert witness in insurance investigations. From his start with pools in 1967, he’s been a pool manager, service technician and contractor, operating Van Bower Pool, Patio & Spas from 1971 until 1991. He began consulting in 1989 and cofounded Van Bower & Wiren in 1995 to specialize in high-end pool-construction projects. He’s been active in trade associations throughout his career at the local, regional and national levels, has won numerous design awards and has been inducted into the Swimming Pool Hall of Fame.